Conveying web or sheet material



May 28, i BO MALMGREN ET AL 3 CONVEYING WEB OR SHEET MATERIAL I Filed July 7, 1966 2 Sheets-$heet 1 FIG-l INVENTORS; BO MALMGR EN HENRY PEHRSON May 28, 1968 B0 MALMGREN ET AL 3,385,490

CONVEYING WEB OR SHEET MATERIAL Filed July 7, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

w 1 w v.

I NVEN TOR SI BO MALMGREN HENRY PEHRSON ATTYS.

United States Patent 3,385,490 CONVEYING WEB OR SHEET MATERIAL Bo Malmgren and Henry Pehrson, Vaxjo, Sweden, assignors to Aktiebolaget Svenska Flairtfabriken, Stockholm, Sweden Filed July 7, 1966, Ser. No. 563,422 Claims priority, application Sweden, July 8, 1965, 9,001/65 7 Claims. (Cl. 2267) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus for supporting, transporting and guiding material in web or sheet form comprising a pair of elongated laterally-spaced pressure chambers underlying the path of travel of the material, their upper surfaces forming a guide plane. The guide plane has at least three lines of openings parallel to the direction of travel of the material. The outer two lines are supply openings from the pressure chambers and the intermediate line is discharge openings so as to direct gaseous medium in currents parallel to and between the guide plane and the material at an angle between 0 and 60 to the lines of openings. The currents produce frictional forces upon the material to be conveyed having components in the direction of conveyance. Preferably, the components perpendicular to the direction of conveyance balance each other.

This invention relates to a method and an apparatus for simultaneously carrying, transporting and guiding a material of web or sheet form by means of a supplied gaseous medium.

The invention may be applied, for example, in the manufacture of paper for advancing the paper web during the processing of the paper in the paper machine or in separate coating, rewinding or conditioning machines or only for advancing the paper web subsequent to an interruption in such machines. The invention is particularly adapted for high-speed transport of narrow and thin webs, for example for advancing the leading end while threading a fresh web into a paper machine. It partially may replace conventional rope feeding means to serve as a link between two parts of such means. In the last-mentioned application the invention replaces either manual transfer which at increasing speeds of the paper machines, is increasingly difiicult to carry out, or it replaces a manual transfer by a compressed air jet which requires high skill of the hose operator, or a transfer with the help of air jets from fixed nozzles, which transfer however, at longer distances is difficult and usually results in a large percentage of unsuccessful attempts.

The method is characterized in that the medium is supplied in medium currents from a plurality of supply points distributed along the transport plane of the material and disposed along 'at least two lines in parallel with the transport direction. The medium currents are caused to continue in a path along the transport plane between the material and a guide plane extending close to the material parallel to the desired transport plane. The medium currents at said supply points are controlled to effect a flow direction substantially which is parallel to the transport plane and forms an angle in the transport plane of between 0 and 60 with the direction of transport whereby the frictional forces between the material and the different currents all have components parallel to the direction of transport to effect advance of the material. The medium currents are conducted away from the medium path at one or more discharge points located between the lines of supply points, in such a manner that the dif- 3,385,490 Patented May 28, 1968 ferent medium currents are directed so as to balance the components of the frictional forces which are perpendicular to the direction of transport.

A particularly suitable embodiment of the method is characterized in that the medium currents :at the supply points are given a flow direction which in the transport plane forms an angle with the transport direction of between 8 and 30.

Apparatus for carrying out the method comprises a guide plane with openings for the supply and discharge of gaseous medium, which openings communicate with conventional means for effecting such supply and discharge. The apparatus is characterized in that the supply openings are located in at least two substantially parallel lines, preferably parallel to the direction of transport, and the discharge openings are located between the said lines. The supply openings are formed by depressions in the guide plane so that the medium flows out through them in a direction which is substantially parallel to the guide plane and which forms in the guide plane an angle of between 0 and 60 with the said lines.

In a preferred embodiment of the apparatus, the supply openings .are shaped so that the medium flows out through the supply openings in a direction which in the guide plane forms an angle of between 8 and 30 with the lines of the supply openings.

In another preferred emobdi-ment, the apparatus has two lines of supply openings with central discharge openings therebetween, and a Wall extends perpendicularly to the guide plane outward of one line of supply openings and parallel to said line. The supply openings in said one line are shaped so that the medium flows out through the openings in a direction in the guide plane, which is at an angle of 0 with (or parallel to) the line of supply openings, the supply openings in the right line being shaped so that the medium flows out through the openings in a direction forming in the guide plane an angle with the line of supply openings of between 8 and 30 toward the one side.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the following specification and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmetary plan view of apparatus according to the invention, with the web material removed;

FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view of an apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of another apparatus embodying the invention with the material web removed;

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view of the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of another embodiment of the invention with the material web removed;

FIG. 6 is a transverse sectional view of the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 7-7 of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 1, a guide plane 1 is provided with a line of supply openings 2 therein for the outflow (supply) of a gaseous medium and a line of exhaust openings 3 for conducting away (discharging) the same medium. By offsetting the openings in depressions in the guide plane, the supply openings 2 are given such a shape (see FIG. 7) that the gaseous medium flows out of them in a direction substantially parallel to the guide plane, the recesses being oriented so that the medium flows out through the openings in currents having a direction somewhat inclined toward the discharge openings 3. By placing the exhaust openings 3 in a line parallel to the desired transport direction indicated by the arrow in combination with the supply openings 2, self-centering of the transported material in the transport plane is obtained.

FIG. 2 shows a material web floating above the guide plane 1 in the transport plane, and a pair of laterally spaced, longitudinally extending pressure chambers 6 to which a gaseous medium is supplied at an overpressure. As shown, the guide plane 1 is formed by the upper surface of the pressure chambers, while the exhaust outlet is formed therebetween.

In FIG. 3 a guide plane 1' is provided with four lines of supply openings 2 for the outflow of a gaseous medium and with two lines of discharge openings 3 for conducting away the same medium. The arrangement shown in FIG. 3 is intended for material having a greater width than the arrangement according to FIG. 1, and for insuring a uniform support below the entire material area. As shown in FIG. 4 the material web 5 floats above the guide plane 1' in the transport plane, and three laterally spaced pressure chambers 6 are used to supply a gaseous medium at an overpressure.

In FIG. 5 a guide plane 1" is provided with two lines of openings 2 and 2 for the outflow of a gaseous medium and with openings 3 for conducting away the same medium. The openings 2 are inclined toward the discharge openings whereas the openings 2' are directed parallel to the direction of transport. As shown in FIG. 6 a material web 5 floats in the transport plane above the guide plane 1, and pressure chambers 6 supply a gaseous medium at an overpressure. To prevent the gaseous medium from the left line of outflow openings 2' from being conducted away to the left side, a wall 4 projects upwardly beyond the web 5 along the left-hand edge of the left-hand supply chamber 6.

Although the invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction, method of operation, and the combination and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

We claim:

1. A method for supporting, transporting and guiding a material in web or sheet form over a guide plane by means of a supplied gaseous medium, comprising the steps of providing a plurality of medium supply openings distributed along the guide plane in at least two laterally-spaced lines substantially parallel to the direction of transport of the material; supplying gaseous medium through said openings in currents flowing in directions substantially parallel to the guide plane and intermediate the guide plane and the transport plane of the material, and at an angle in the transport plane between 0 and 60 with the direction of transport; exhausting said supplied medium through said guide plane along a line intermediate said two lines of supply openings in such a manner that the flow currents of said gaseous medium provide frictional forces upon the material with components parallel to the direction of transport to advance the material.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein said supplying and exhausting steps produce flow currents providing frictional forces acting on the material with balanced components perpendicular to the direction of transport.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein said currents flow at an angle in the transport plane of between 8 and 30 with the direction of transport.

4. Apparatus for supporting, transporting and guiding material in web or sheet form by means of a supplied gaseous medium comprising a guide plane underlying said material in spaced parallel relation thereto, means defining two lines of supply openings substantially parallel to the direction of transport of the material, and means defining a line of discharge openings intermediate and parallel to said lines of supply openings, said supply and discharge openings being formed to provide a plurality of medium currents flowing intermediate and parallel to said guide plane and material in directions forming in the guide plane an angle of between 0 and 60 with said lines.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said openings are formed by depressions in said guide plane so that the medium currents form angles with the lines of supply openings of between 8 and 30.

6. Apparatus according to claim 3 including a wall projecting upwardly beyond said material at one side of said guide plane parallel to the line of supply openings adjacent said one side, the openings in said adjacent line providing currents at an angle of substantially 0 with said line, and the openings in the other of said lines providing currents at an angle of between 8 and 30 with said line toward said wall.

7. Apparatus according to claim 4 including a pressure chamber underlying said guide plane in registry with each line of supply openings to supply gaseous medium therethrough, said chambers being spaced apart underlying said discharge openings to provide a space for exhausting medium therefrom.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,805,898 9/1957 Willis 30229 2,848,820 8/1958 Wallin et al. 30229 X 2,882,097 4/ 1959 Hamren 30229 3,180,688 4/1965 Futer 302-29 3,181,916 5/1965 Epstein 302r29 3,206,092 9/ 1965 Wallin 302-29 X 3,230,752 1/1966 Dobson et al. 271-74 3,231,165 1/1966 Wallin et al. 226-97 3,268,222 8/1966 Off 271-74 3,272,415 9/ 1966 Wallin 22697 3,318,640 5/ 1967 Coville 27174 3,319,856 5/1967 Stanley 2267 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,342,552 9/1963 France.

M. HENSON WOOD, JR., Primary Examiner.

I. P. MULLINS, Assistant Examiner. 

